Unforgiving Past
by BloodyCrows Queen
Summary: Vincent finds himself in the situation that he had told himself that he would never end up in. He doesn't know if he can trust people and is a runaway. He must find out how to let go of the past and learn to accept another, happier life. Please read. XD


I woke up in a cold sweat. It happened again. That nightmare of my parents' demise. It has been three years since the accident, but I remember it like it was yesterday. The smell of sulfur, burning wood, and metal. My eyes stinging from the smoke and dry air. All I had heard was thudding of my heart, until the heavy tapping of boots interrupted. I tried to get to a window, but he caught me.

He grabbed my shirt, "Now, you wouldn't be trying to save yourself would you boy?"

His voice was raspy against my ear.

I yelled, "HELP, SOMEONE HE-"

He put his hand over my mouth. I screamed and kicked, but it didn't work. He slammed my back against the wall rendering me of my breath.

"Now, you won't be needing to do that." He laughed.

I was gasping for breath when I heard sirens outside. The man holding me cursed.

"You're lucky this time boy!"

He let go of my shirt and I stumbled into him causing him to shove me away. Slamming me into the wall again. My breath had escaped me again and I collapsed to the floor. The man chuckled and vanished into the smoke. I didn't bother to get up. A firefighter knocked down the door to the room and looked around. When he saw me slumped over and coughing, he ran over to me.

The first firefighter, "is there anyone else in the house?"

I coughed and pointed to the stairs, "m…my pa…parents…"

The firefighter nodded and told the others to search the house. They broke off and went upstairs. The first firefighter picked me up and hurried outside. There was an ambulance already here. He set me down on the stretcher and quickly talked to the medics. The medics nodded and the firefighter went back into the burning house. Two of the medics came over and did the usual tests. I coughed; the fresh air stung my smoke covered lungs. The four firefighters came out. One looked at me and shook her head. My life came crumbling down in front of my eyes. The medic put a hand on my shoulder.

She studied my ashen face, "you know, you are lucky to have made it out al-"

I interrupted her, "lucky?"

She looked a little surprised, "yeah. You could have burned to death."

I looked at her, eyes dull and lifeless, "No. I am unfortunate. My parents are dead! I should have died!" tears streamed down my face but I continued, "at least I would be with them! It's my fault!"

I smacked her hand off of my shoulder and jumped off of the stretcher. I ran; ran away from everything. I just let it slip between my fingers. They all tried to stop me, but I kept going. Dodging their hands and ignoring their pleas to come back. The memory faded and I shivered. That night of the accident I had made my home in an abandoned house at least a mile from my old home. The only things that lived here were mice, spiders, and two barn owls; which I had recently made friend with earlier this week. I fed the owls' bits and pieces of my food. I looked at my watch, it was 11:37.

I thought to myself, 'almost time to go.'

One of the owls had been resting on my shoulder, when in a hurried flutter, flew into a corner. There was a shriek of a mouse. I laughed as the mouse scuttled under the owls talons and across the floor. The owl, walking awkwardly across the floor, finally got to the other corner. The other owl watched from the rafters lit by silvery tendrils of moonlight coming from the skylight. I watched as the owl finally caught the mouse. With the mouse in its talons, it flew to the rafters and started to eat its midnight meal. I got up and went to the window. The moon was full and at its highest point in the sky.

I sighed, "Well, it's time for my midnight meeting to begin."

I slipped on my black hoodie and my shoes.

I looked at my watch, "Ok. Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to say this, but I must be on, my way now."

I bent down in a formal bow, and then strode across the room to the back door. I stepped out and closed the door behind me. I went to my bike leaning against the side of the house. I had 'borrowed' this bike from some kid and had kept it since. With it being pink though, I had to spray paint it black and red. I rode down the dusty trial loving the autumn air cooling the sweat that had started on the back of my neck. I kept to the trails that nobody used since I had a warrant to be arrested and put into a foster home. I had been meeting with a friend every week or so for food. We would meet at a construction site that had to be closed down due to some government argument. He would bring soda, water, food his mom would make, and a jacket with new shoes. He was the only person I could talk to like this. He had sworn to never tell anyone about it and I trust him. So we have been meeting for over two years now. One night we had met and he had my old laptop with him.

I laughed, "Dude! You still have my computer?"

He smiled broadly, "Well, I had kept it just in case."

We did our secret hand shake and sat down on a pile of 2x4s.

"Man. What would I do without you?" I said jokingly

He lightly punched my shoulder, "you would be totally screwed! I mean you're a runaway. It has been three years but people are still looking for you."

I sighed, "I know. The good thing is no one has even come to the abandoned house."

He sighed also, "Well, that is a good thing…but…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "What about school? Even being at an advanced level, you still need it."

I studied his face. He tried to keep his face calm, but I saw fear and sadness flicker in his eyes.

I looked down and kicked a nail at my foot, "look Ted, I know you worry about me and all, but I've told you before and I'll say it again, I can't go back to school."

He looked at me when I used the nickname his grandmother used for him before she died. His name is Teddy Manson, but anyone who is anyone would call him Ted.

He picked up a nail and examined it, "Well Vin, I know you can't go to school, but what about tutoring?"

I looked at him when he used the nickname my dad gave me. A memory flooded back to me.

Dad was kneeling over something, "Hey Vin! Come here!"

I was around five or six at that time.

"What is it Daddy?" I said as I walked up to him.

His features were composed and thoughtful.

"Look!" he said.

He stood up and moved to the side. I leaned closer to what was on the table.

"Is it real Daddy?"

Dad laughed, "No. It's a robot I've been working on."

I picked the robot up. It was about the size of a tennis ball. It looked like a Zipper spider.

"Can we try it out?" excitement rang through my voice that made Dad smile.

"Ok. Let me get the controller."

He went into the garage and came back out with a controller the size of his hand.

I set it down, "What can it do?"

Dad put a hand on my head, "you'll see."

He made it run, jump, crawl up the side of a tree, and make a web.

I ran to the web, "Whoa! That's so cool!"

Dads' smile widened, "isn't it?"

Then the memory faded away and Ted was staring at me.

"Vin? Vin? Are you ok? I thought you blacked out or something." He said

I shook my head, "No. just a memory."

Ted looked at me from the corner of his eye, "ok."

He took out his phone and looked at the time, "Whoa! Man I need to go!"

We stood up at the same time.

I looked at him, "Ok. So here around the same time in let's see….two weeks?"

He nodded and smiled, "Yea! Bye Vin!"

He turned around and ran towards his house. I kept waving until I couldn't see him anymore. I sighed and looked at the two bags. I grabbed the bags, heavy with things, and carried them to my bike. I put one bag on the left handle and the other on the right. I hopped on my bike and rode back down the trail I used earlier. I had to stop a few times for patrolling police. Once past them, I set off again. I was leaning my bike against the side of the house when I heard someone stomping around inside. I put the bike against the wall and left the bags there. I went over to the back window and crouched below it. I peered in from the right corner to see an obscured outline of a heavy set man. I pulled back from the window and pushed myself against the wall. I heard footsteps near the window so I ducked below the window. I looked up to see a haggard looking face scanning the area around the house side to side. A look of anger and disappointment shadowed his face. Then, after a few seconds of standing there, he left. I stayed down until I heard the click of the front door closing. I waited until I couldn't hear the crunching of leaves as he left. I stood there for a few more moments, not wanting to chance anything. I quietly got the bags off of my bike and went inside through the back door. I quietly closed the door behind me. I stood in the darkness for a few seconds; taking in the quiet. I had just set the bags down when I heard a shriek and the flapping of wings. Then something gripped my shoulder. I was about to swing when I realized that it was one of the barn owls. Instead, I raised my hand and smoothed out it's puffed out feathers. It cooed happily and stayed on my shoulder. I sighed and pulled out my lighter. I flicked it open and started to look for a candle. After tripping on things multiple times, I finally found some. I lit five candles. Four stayed there and I carried the biggest and brightest one with me. I entered the main room and set the candle on the table in the center of the room. With the candle light I saw that the room was totally thrashed. My papers were thrown across the floor. All of the clothes I had were scattered everywhere. I heard another rustle of wings, but it was in a corner. I went to the corner. I moved the papers that were there and found the other barn owl underneath of it. One wing was broken, some feathers pulled out, and its leg was twisted at a gruesome angle. The owl on my shoulder shimmied down my arm and hopped down next to the other owl. I smiled at their odd connection they had. I held out my arm. The one that used to be on my shoulder got back on. I slowly and carefully picked up the owl on the floor. It didn't resist but went limp in my hands. I went to the table and quickly made a make-shift nest out of my shirt and a few socks that were lying around. I gently laid the owl in the nest. The one on my shoulder got down and sat next to the one in the nest. I looked at my watch, it was 2:41.

I thought to myself, 'the drug store will give me something.'

I laughed as I remembered how I became friends with the manager. He was supposed to go to jail or get a job. Of course he said jail, but the judge said to get a job. With him knowing I had a warrant for arrest he became my friend knowing what it was like to be running from the police.

I sighed, "Ok. I'm going to the store. I'll be back shortly."  
>I did a quick rub down the owl's chest to smooth down his feathers. I grabbed the new hoodie Ted got me and slipped it over my head. With my shoes still on, I went to the back door. I slipped out silently and went to my bike. There was a variation of ways to get to the drug store but I had to use the roads no one used. It took me a while to get the store in the dark, but I finally got there. I went around to the back of the store, and like always, he was sitting on the steps smoking. He saw me and waved. I rode over to the side of the steps and leaned my bike against the cold concrete wall.<p>

He stood up, "I thought you'd gotten caught. It's been a few weeks."

I sighed and leaned against the wall covered in a shadow, "yeah I know. I've busy lately."

He raised a tattooed eyebrow, "busy, eh?"

I looked at him though my hair, "yeah, but as I was going home today, I caught someone going through my stuff."

His expression was blank, "you think they found anything?"

I was surprised to see fear and a little worry cross his face, "I don't know. My things were scattered everywhere, and whoever it was injured one of my birds."

He frowned, "how bad?"

I smiled at his worry but it was masked by the shadow, "I need some pain killers, ace wrap, and two splints."

His frown creased his face, wrinkling his tattoos, "that bad?"

I shrugged, "one splint is for a broken wing, but I will use the ace wrap to wrap it up first." I continued, "The second splint is for his leg, and the pain killers for the pain."

His frown lightened, "I can help."

I chuckled as he hurried up the steps and into the store. The door shutting automatically behind him. I stood against the wall in peace and quiet. I then heard someone walking down the pavement. I crouched in the shadows and pressed my back against the wall. The manager stepped out and saw the person walking down the pavement towards the stairs. He stepped out of the store and let it shut all of the way. The person stopped on the other side of the stairs.

The manager sighed, "What do you want?"

The person looked up at the manager, "I came back to say that I know you know something about that boy they looking to arrest don't ya?"

The manager shifted slightly. I tensed and clenched my fists, ready for a fight.

The manager cleared his throat, "I have no idea where he is, who he is, or when he was last seen."

"Why are you hiding it from me Victor? I know you know something!" he yelled.

Victor cleared his throat again, "I'm sorry, but I want you to leave now!"

The person shouted, "Fine! But this is not the last you will hear from me!"

He growled and stormed off. We were in total silence until we couldn't hear him anymore.

Victor coughed, "Ok Vincent. He is gone."

I sighed with relief. I stood up and stepped out of the shadows. Victor went down the steps and handed me the supplies.

"Ok. I expect to see you in a few days, and bring that bird of yours so I can do a checkup for any internal damage done."

I put the supplies in my string bag, "Ok. I will see you then…" I shifted slightly on my feet, "and um….thanks for not exposing me when that person came."

I saw Victor smile, "What are friends for?"

I smiled and watched as he went back to his smoking. I got my bike and left. On the way home I had to stop twice for patrolling cars again. I finally got home. I put my bike on the side of the house and went around back. When I went into the main room the owl was asleep. I got some food Ted gave me and went over to the owl. The owl was busy trying to catch a mouse.

I laughed to myself, "ok. Now where do I begin on you? Hm."

I took out the splints, ace wrap, and pain killers. I read the label for the pain killers and sighed.

I looked at the owl, "you can't have these. Adult dosage will surely kill you."

I put the bottle down and went to look for any children's Tylenol. After a few minutes of looking I found a bottle of it in the bathroom under the sink. I read the label as I walked back.

"Ok, give child 10mg or one pill. If pain persists longer than two hours…..since the owl isn't a baby. I will give it half a pill."

I grabbed my pocket knife and went over to the table. I took out a pill from the bottle and cut it in half. I grounded it up into powder and mixed it with some of the food Ted gave me. The owl was well awake by then, so I fed it to him. He took it, and nearly bit off my finger too. I got a band aid and put it on my finger. I sat back and grabbed the bottle and read the label again. It said to wait 20 to 30 minutes for it to set in. I put the bottle on the table and decided to clean up the room. It took about five minutes to pick up all of my clothes, put them in one pile, and to find all of my papers and set them in a neat pile on the desk in the corner. I went into the other room and came back with a candle. I set it on0 the desk and sat in the chair. I grabbed a pen and started to doodle. I looked at my watch. It had only been 15 minutes. I dropped the pen and leaned back in the chair. My stomach growled and I stood. I went into the kitchen and got some food. I also grabbed a soda and went back into the main room. I set the food and drink down and checked my watch. It had been 25 minutes.

I nodded, "Alright then."

I walked over to the table. I, first and very carefully, splinted his leg. He nibbled at my fingers until I finished. I sighed. Then I moved to his wing. I got the ace wrap and started to wrap it. Once I was done with that I got the second splint. Once I finished with that; I fed him some of my food. I sighed, glad to be done. I wiped my fingers on my jeans and went back to the desk. I picked up the pen and started to write. I yawned, but continued to write. I finally fell asleep.


End file.
